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The juxtaposition between these two is incredibly well done. In addition to their conversation, you can also literally see that Takasugi and Zura are just different versions of each other. (It’s especially poignant since Zura’s hair is chopped.) Takasugi’s heretical and chaotic. Zura’s traditional and disciplined. Takasugi dresses flamboyantly and keeps a shikomizue at his side– a cane sword. Zura dresses modestly and uses a standard katana.

Despite their polar personalities, they actually have a lot common. They’ve known each other the longest out of the Joui Four being classmates in that military academy before attending Shouyou’s school, and both are leaders of new Jouishishi factions working to usher in change. So how did they become such stark contrasts of each other? What was the catalyst? 

It was Gintoki. 

Zura admires Gintoki for bearing his unjust suffering without hatred. Zura even says to to Takasugi, “Do you know how many times I have wanted to reduce this world to ashes? However, that man has always endured it. Gintoki. He who has the most reason to hate this world has always endured it.” Takasugi, on the other hand, blindly refuses every line of logic and commits to making Gintoki the object of blame. He just cannot accept that there may have been a bigger reason as to why Gintoki “didn’t abandon them to save sensei.” Zura has never once accused Gintoki for Shouyou’s death, while Takasugi chooses to harbor deep resentment.

Takasugi and Zura are two sides of the same coin, yet, the most significant characteristic they share is how emotionally fragile they truly are. Maybe the loss of their sensei wasn’t enough to drive Zura over the edge, but the loss of Gintoki in the Be Forever Yorozuya movie was. Gintoki and Zura are nothing short of brothers, but they’re related by history rather than blood. (Well, maybe bloodshed too…) Losing your best friend, your only family, and the one person you trusted wholeheartedly– of course that kind of grief could consume and break a man. And perhaps that’s why present-day Zura admires Gintoki so much. Maybe he’s fully aware that he’s not as emotionally strong as Gintoki.

Shouyou was to Takasugi as Gintoki is to Zura, and in this light, Takasugi isn’t so crazy and evil anymore. In different lifetimes he and Zura (sweet, stupid Zura) share the same tragedy.

…sorry for the hella Gintama feels. This thought struck me last night, and I had to flesh it out in writing. There’s so much potential between these two of Shouyou’s brats. Please, Sorachi they need another confrontation!

While catching up with the recent chapters, I got to this panel in chapter 533, and something about it made me pause. It’s the almost offhand way Katsura slips into an old memory of the war and discloses it to Kondo, offering it up like some sort of badge of friendship, as though implying, “You’re a comrade now, so I can tell you things about my comrades from before.”

And the memory itself paints such a vivid image: Gintoki as a tactician, burning his own ships, sacrificing whatever is necessary for the war effort; Sakamoto, in contrast, still in love with ships, still holding onto dreams that exist outside of war. You can see why Gintoki and Takasugi got along so well back then. You can also see, in that one phrase, the inclinations that would later lead Sakamoto to literally leave the planet and swap his burnt boats for spaceships.

The most significant thing about this panel, though, is what it says about Katsura. I can’t recall any other moment in this series when a member of the Joui talked about the war with someone who had not fought in it. But Katsura is able to offer up this recollection so easily. Once upon a time, yes, they fought a hopeless war and suffered catastrophic losses, but he also remembers the camaraderie and banter in the midst of that; he can face the past while also looking towards the future. In contrast, Gintoki bottles it up and can’t bring himself to talk about it. In contrast, Takasugi never even managed to leave the war zone. Out of Shouyou’s three students, Katsura ended up being the strongest emotionally.

so I got into grad school today with my shitty 2.8 gpa and the moral of the story is reblog those good luck posts for the love of god

Iconic.

Madara leaving the village and coming back with the 9 tails: everyone thinks they're so funny. well I'm about to be hilarious

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gordan ramsey said this on kitchen nightmares and it blew me away so i took a screenshot but amazon prime app censored me and handed me this work of art

What is it that I’m not supposed to look for? Or does it count as looking when I’m looking for whatever is it that I’m not supposed to be looking for? In that case, I’ll have to look for someone to look for what I’m not supposed to look for, before deciding if I should look or not. So, I’m looking for someone who’s willing to look for the answer. But if I’m not supposed to look, then I can’t look for that someone to look for the someone to look for the someone to look for the someone to look for the someone to look for the…